Ducks Fly Together
by Little Gem Magnolia
Summary: Orion stumbles across two wayward Ducks. JF


_Ducks Fly Together_

_**Disclaimer:** I do **NOT** own the Mighty Ducks or the characters._

_**Summary:** Orion stumbles across two wayward Ducks. J/F_

_**Authors Note:** This fic takes place during the third movie after Charlie and Fulton leave the team. (Basically it covers what happened between Fulton leaving Charlie and Charlie finding out Hans died.) __This is also my first attempt at Julie/Fulton and only my second Mighty Ducks movie fic so please be kind._

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_Ducks Fly Together_

Julie's entire body shook as silent tears wracked her form, the Ducks were falling apart. Not many people knew it, but Julie's home life had never been the greatest in the world and the first time she'd really felt loved, like she was part of a real family, was when she found the Ducks; now her family was slipping away from her. First Bombay abandoned the team for something "bigger and better", then Portman decided he just wouldn't show up and Eden hall and now Fulton and Charlie were gone.

Fulton. Julie didn't know when she'd become so attached to him but she had. Portman had really hurt her when he hadn't shown up at Eden Hall—besides Connie, he'd been her best friend—and just when Julie thought she wouldn't be able to spend one more minute at the preppy school without him, Fulton had swooped in and saved her. Fulton had been the only one who really knew what she was going through because even though the entire team felt the loss of Dean Portman, their pain was nothing compared to that of the blond goalie and the large enforcer. Now without Fulton, Julie found she could do nothing but cry.

She never remembered crying this much before in her life. Julie had always been strong but now, when faced with the threat that the best thing in her life could very well be on its last legs, she found herself crumbling. Shivering and crying alone in the abandoned hockey rink of a school she absolutely hated sure didn't seem like the actions of a strong person. Just like the team, Julie "the cat" was falling apart and she had no idea how to repair herself.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Julie prepared to put on a brave face and head back to the room she shared with Connie but before she could move from her spot on the bench, she felt something warm being draped across her shoulders. Looking behind her, Julie saw Fulton, hands still on the worn leather wrapped around her shivering form. At the sight of him a new batch of tears formed in her eyes but Julie pushed them back, swallowing stubbornly. Even after all the times Fulton had picked her up off the floor she'd never actually cried in front of him and she wasn't going to start now.

"I thought you left." She whispered bitterly, turning back to the ice to keep from making eye contact.

"I did. And now I'm back." His reply was just as quiet as her statement, meant only for her ears.

Resisting the urge to jump up and throw herself into his arms, Julie swallowed again; she couldn't get her hopes up, he might just be there to say good-bye.

"What changed your mind?" She inquired conversationally, trying to keep her voice neutral.

"I got to thinking. I thought about the future, the team…you." He answered as he sat down, straddling the bench so that he could face her. He needed to make her understand, understand that he wasn't Portman, that he wouldn't just leave her like that. "Look Jules, I'm not perfect, I don't pretend to be but I did come back. I didn't abandon you."

Julie turned to face him, eyes narrowed, tears beginning to cloud her vision. "But you did. You followed Charlie out of here the other day without a second thought to me…or the team!" Her voice was no longer quiet and rose with each word she spoke and Fulton was sure they were making a scene whether anyone was around to see it or not.

"I know and I'm sorry. It doesn't fix everything but I _am_ sorry. I wouldn't just leave you without a word, though, you know that…"

"Do I?" She questioned, tears now flowing freely from her eyes, eyes that lightened and turned grey when she cried. "You and Portman are so much alike sometimes that I find myself wondering where one of you ends and the other begins. How do I know you won't just disappear from my life like he did?"

Fulton sighed as he leaned forward and placed his hands on either side of her face, gently ridding her cheeks of the tears that had settled there while dually demanding her attention. "Because I'm making a promise to you, right here, right now. I will _never_ leave you...not now, not ever."

Tears quickly refilled Julie's eyes at his promise, at his sincerity and she found herself letting out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding as he removed his hands from her face before bringing his arms around her and pulling her close. Fulton smiled as her face found the crook of his neck and he readjusted his jacket around her as if it were second nature, shushing her quietly as she resumed her crying.

This time when she cried, she cried tears of relief. He wasn't going to leave her, he'd be the first.

* * *

Ted Orion slammed the door to the locker room, irritated by last night's loss and that fact that he couldn't find his playbook. Storming down the stretch of hall that let out to the ice, Orion pondered the direction in which his team was headed. It seemed Bombay hadn't been lying when he'd said Charlie was the heart of the Ducks.

_Warriors_, he corrected.

They were Warriors now and their little tricks, the ones they'd used in their small town tournament and in the Goodwill Games, weren't going to work on the high school level. They had a lot to learn before they would be ready for the JV/Varsity game and Orion briefly wondered how he would get through to them. They had been horrible listeners when Conway was part of the team but now that he and Fulton were gone, they seemed to get worse; like they couldn't function without them. Two players didn't make a team, so why did they influence the teams' actions so?

Orion found his pace slowing and his anger ebbing away as he entered the arena. He could hear a small sound, almost too low and far away for human ears to pick up but he definitely heard it. Looking around, he saw no one on the ice or in the stands but as his eyes found the box, he saw two figures huddled together. Squinting, he tried to make out the figures and after a moment, he was successful in recognizing who occupied the box.

Julie Gaffney and Fulton Reed.

A smile found its way across the JV coach's face as he watched the long haired enforcer comfort the crying goalie. So Fulton was back, things were definitely looking up. Now he figured it was only a matter of time before Charlie came back too and then the team would be whole again. It seemed no one could stay away from the Ducks for long no matter how upset they were.

What was it Bombay had told him when he'd left the team in his care? "Ducks fly together?" At the time, Orion had laughed and brushed off the saying as something Bombay used to get the team pumped before a game but now he could see that it held truth. Ducks really did fly together and there was nothing wrong with sticking together…nothing wrong with being a Duck.

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_Okay, so there's my first attempt at Fulton/Julie and the ending kind of gives a reason for Orion's change of heart, why he's not so rough on them and against them being Ducks and what not. I know it's short, just a little deleted scene, I guess and I'm not really sure how I feel about it so any input at all would be much appreciated. (Always pushing for that constructiveness, though.) _

_Well I hope everyone enjoyed this little one-shot and I wish you all a wonderful day and happy reading._

_-Midnight Larkin._


End file.
